Ready to feel old? Terminator 2: Judgment Day turns 30 years old this week, and to commemorate the blockbuster sequel that set the mold for blockbuster, sci-fi action, The Ringer put together a pretty tremendous oral history that takes a look back at the making of the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic.
At the time of its release, the film was a showcase of cutting-edge visual effects thanks to Robert Patrick’s T-1000 who could morph into liquid metal and change its appearance at will. (The role almost went to Billy Idol, so try not to think about how amazing that would’ve been.) More importantly, T2 was a notable departure from the first film, which was basically a horror film where Schwarzenegger played a ruthless, murdering machine villain on the hunt for Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor.
This time around, Hamilton wasn’t a damsel in distress, and Schwarzenegger would be the hero of the film, as he shows up to protect her son and leader of a future rebellion, John Connor. Played by Edward Furlong, John’s addition to T2 added heart and levity to the heavy threat of a future apocalypse, and a surprisingly candid James Cameron revealed how he decided to include him in the sequel. Via The Ringer:
I remember sitting there once, high on E, writing notes for Terminator, and I was struck by Sting’s song, that “I hope the Russians love their children too.” And I thought, “You know what? The idea of a nuclear war is just so antithetical to life itself.” That’s where the kid came from.
OK, so the answer turned out to be drugs, but let’s not pretend that wasn’t the case for every single movie from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. And probably huge chunks of Avatar because have you seen that movie? They have sex with their hair. It’s wild.
(Via The Ringer)